Dear Friends and Colleagues, Southern Pulse has launched a security monitoring service called the Brazil Pulse (www.BrazilPulse.com) that focuses on every city in Brazil where the World Cup games will take place. The service began on May 25, 2014 and will run through August 1, 2014. If you would like to receive more information, simply reply to this email or visit the website. Otherwise, please forward to the relevant people in your organization who are responsible for security concerns in Brazil.A few headlines from our reporters on the ground:Two Protests in São Paulo TodayOn 27 May 2014, at least two protests could cause disruptions in São Paulo. In the morning, starting at 06:00, local time, the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST) occupied the Praça da Sé, protesting against the removal of a number of families from an abandoned building. Another, larger, protest is expected at 16:00, local time, and will be held by the municipal teachers union. Local teachers are currently on strike and are likely to mobilize 5,000 members, closing down Av. Paulista in front of MASP. City traffic officials are partially on strike, making any disruption from protests worse as the city will not be able to redirect traffic optimally. Bus Strike Stumbles in RioOn 28 May 2014, a union dissident group of public transportation workers failed to stage a successful strike with Rio de Janeiro's bus drivers and fare collectors. Roughly 90 percent of the bus fleet is operating, unlike similar strikes in the past two weeks which say less the 30 percent of the fleet on the streets. Nevertheless bus users are complaining about delays throughout the city, and buses are picking up passengers beyond their permitted capacity. Dengue Fever Looms Over Natal, Fortaleza and RecifeOn 27 May 2014, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation released a report stating that host cities Fortaleza, Natal and Recife have an elevated chance of hosting a Dengue fever epidemic during the World Cup (46 percent; 49 percent; and 19 percent respectively), though they have not reached the necessary metric (300 infections per 100,000 people). Ministry of Health officials continue to cautiously monitor public health data and trends, yet do not expect an above average affliction of the virus during the World Cup. Army Trains for Radioactive Attack in Porto AlegreOn 28 May 2014, the Brazilian Army organized an emergency training session nearby the Beira-Rio stadium. The simulation gathered over 11 different government agencies and is simulating the use of radioactive material as a terrorist attack against the FIFA World Cup. Streets around the stadium were closed for 40 minutes as the simulation occurred. Teachers Maintain Protests in RioOn 28 May 2014, the Rio de Janeiro teachers union organized a protest in front of city hall. The protest closed down Avenida President Vargas, and the protestors are currently marching towards the neighborhood of Santo Cristo. Expect the closure of Rua Bento Ribeiro and the João Ricardo tunnel as they make their way to the main Municipal Secretariat for Education building.

RIO DE JANEIRO—Four-year-old Larissa de Carvalho was leaving a restaurant with her family in western Rio de Janeiro earlier this month when she suddenly collapsed, struck in the head by a bullet.

The little girl and a 9-year-old boy were among the at least four people who have been killed by stray gunshots in the seaside city in the last two weeks, according to police and media reports. At least another 12 have been wounded, some of them seriously.

“We thought she’d stumbled, then saw that blood was coming out of her little head. She was only four years old,” sobbed Larissa’s mother, Milene de Carvalho, who said she wants to see “fewer cases like this so other families don’t suffer the same tragedy.”

Brazil’s second-largest city, which is gearing up to host the Olympics next year, is seeing a surge in violence despite gains made since the government launched a landmark pacification effort.

Over the last six years, police have been entering the city’s hundreds of impoverished, informal communities, called favelas, to reclaim them from drug traffickers.

The effort has reduced the city’s homicide rate by nearly 40% since 2008, and paved the way for new infrastructure and investment in the city, including the Trump Towers office complex in the city’s downtown port area. It has also prepared Rio to host a series of major events: a visit from the pope in 2013, the World Cup last year, and the coming Olympic Games.

But the program is under attack as criminals fight back against the pacifying police units, known as UPPs. At least 11 police officers died on the job last year in the city of Rio, according to police. Dozens have also been killed off-duty throughout the city and the surrounding state by the same name.

Favela residents say they don’t want to be caught in the crossfire, and are fearful that gains made in recent years are slipping away. Sérgio Gomes was so optimistic about the future of his community in Complexo do Alemão that he quit his retail job in the city center to sell souvenirs to an influx of tourists venturing into the area.

His neighborhood is now scarred with bullet holes, and tourism has slowed to a trickle. His stand is one of only a handful remaining as other vendors have closed their shops and tour businesses.

“I’m so worried to let my kids go out,” said Mr. Gomes, 48. The police “didn’t bring pacification—they brought a war against traffickers that residents didn’t ask for, that we’re not a part of.”

In a recent interview, Rio de Janeiro state’s Security Secretary José Mariano Beltrame said police alone can’t solve Brazil’s crime problems. Mr. Beltrame, who has held his post longer than any previous security secretary, said the country also needs better public services and social programs targeted at young people in poor communities. He added that the federal government also needs to tighten Brazil’s 10,500-mile-long land border, through which he says drugs and weapons flow too easily.

“Public security in Brazil has become synonymous with police,” he said. “This is wrong; it’s a myopic view of the issue.”

Aside from launching the pacification program, Mr. Beltrame has overhauled training in an effort to build more trust between communities and the police force, which has a reputation for corruption and violence. But for lasting change, he advocates more intensive outreach and coordination between government departments and nonprofits to improve life for favela residents.

“The UPP is only there to…allow the garbage truck to enter, for doctors to go up the hill, so kindergartens can be set up, for the children to go to and return from school without any problem,” he said. The reign of traffickers “in these places cannot be fought with only guns.”

Aug 3, 2017 | 00:30 GMTBrazil: President Escapes Prosecution, For NowHad the lower house approved corruption charges against Temer, he would have been removed from the presidency and tried by the Supreme Court.Connections

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Brazilian President Michel Temer will not stand trial for alleged corruption after the lower house voted against allowing the Brazilian Supreme Court to pursue charges against him. A formal request had been made by Brazil's General Prosecutor, Rodrigo Janot, for congress to authorize a probe into Temer. It is alleged that the Brazilian president negotiated bribes with the meat processing conglomerate JBS S.A.

The Aug. 2 result is notable because it shows that despite having a record low approval rating for a Brazilian president, reaching 5 percent last week, Temer has been able to maintain congressional support to block the probe against him. Despite the lingering accusations of corruption, he will be able to stay in power, for the short term at least. Had the lower house approved corruption charges against Temer, he would have been removed from the presidency and tried by the Supreme Court. In that instance, the president of the lower house, Rodrigo Maia, would assume the presidency for up to 180 days until an indirect presidential election could be called by congress.

Maintaining congressional support not only insulates Temer against further charges, but grants him the ability to get unpopular economic reforms approved. Key among the economic measures the government plans on sending to congress this year is a pension reform bill. This is a critical proposal given the fact that Brazil's pension system reported a deficit of almost $50 billion over the past year. This in turn puts more pressure on Brazil's growing fiscal shortfall, which is expected to reach 2.1 percent of the country's GDP this year.

Temer is not yet of the woods, though, and more corruption charges could be levied against him in the coming weeks. Janot is expected to send further appeals for Temer's prosecution to congress before his term as the General Prosecutor expires in September. Should these charges gain traction, Brazil's lower house will have to hold another voting session. This could subsequently delay the government's efforts to speed up congressional approval for its economic reform package. Despite challenges to his power, it is likely that Temer will be able to keep his ruling coalition in congress largely united, allowing him to block any new corruption charges.